


The Sombra Collective

by AzarasZorro



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I'm A Sucker for Rare Pairs, Literal Shipping Containers, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Dragons (Overwatch), Post-Recall, Rare Pairings, Redemption, Slow Burn, Sombra (Overwatch) is a Little Shit, Tags May Change, Team Talon (Overwatch)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 17:12:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15272325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzarasZorro/pseuds/AzarasZorro
Summary: Hanzo recognizes the determination behind her eyes, the way her body trembles, the demand for justice in an unjust world and doing whatever means necessary to save it. Sombra wasn't just offering him a job, he realizes, she's offering him redemption.The world is changing once again, Hanzo, and it’s time to pick a side.AKA "How Olivia Colomar Redeemed The Reaper, Fell in Love, and Reunited the Overwatch Family"





	The Sombra Collective

**Author's Note:**

> Yooooo this is my first-ever fanfiction! The idea's been floating around since November 2016 when Sombra was first released, but thanks to Camp NaNoWriMo I finally found the motivation to write it! I'm a sucker for rare pairs, so I hope you enjoy!

_The world is changing once again, Hanzo, and it’s time to pick a side._

His brother’s words echo in Hanzo Shimada’s head. His brother Genji, alive after all these years, appearing to him as a ghost of his past to haunt and shame him. It’s what he deserves after all. Yet, Genji did not give him the death he felt he deserved.

Genji forgave him.

Why does it feel like a fate worse than death?

Hanzo places the sparrow hawk feather at his humble altar. He closes his eyes and begins to meditate despite the pang in his heart and the throbbing of his head. He thinks of his father’s blade in front of him, _his blade_ , the reason he refuses to touch a sword again. He remembers the anger, the jealousy, the _hatred_ of his younger brother whose only sin was being born second. And now Genji has the audacity to be alive, to arrive here, to forgive Hanzo for what he did? And to tell him that he can’t run away forever?

What right does Genji have? Hanzo’s face darkens as he remembers his strict upbringing, how his interests, his tastes, his future, _his freedom_ were dictated to him. Duty is the only destiny Hanzo knows; a duty that Genji and his friends in Overwatch stripped away from him, and the last thing he wanted was the ghost of his brother telling him how to live his life.  The anger, the heartbreak, the hatred, the sadness, all emotions hit Hanzo like a wave, and he can’t help but feel his muscles tense as he tries to fight back tears. If only Genji would have stayed dead. If only Genji was never born. If only Hanzo was born to a different family where he could have grown up with the love and support of his family and friends and become a modest salaryman like the strangers on the streets of Hanamura. _If only I would have never been born._

_Taptaptaptap_

Hanzo chokes back a sob in time to hear it. His trembling body is suddenly frozen in place. He wills his heart to stop beating in his head. His breathing slows, his eyes close as his body remembers all the years of training he did with his former clan. Someone is watching him.

_Taptaptaptap_

Footsteps. Light on their feet, no heavy shoes, if they were wearing shoes at all. A small person. Could it actually be an assassin this time?

_Taptap….fwooooooommmmmm_

Hanzo tilts his head towards the sound. Now that robotic hum was very unfamiliar. This assassin is clearly not good at their job. Is it perhaps an omnic. No, the footsteps were too light, and he would have heard the pneumatic whir of their internal structure. Hanzo slowly removes his arm from his lap and gently grasps his Stormbow.

 _Fwomp_.

Hanzo swivels, arrow nocked and drawn within a second. He doesn’t expect to find a short, dark woman with her hands in the air in mock surrender. She is noticeably purple.

“Easy there, _amigo_ , I’m not here to kill you either,” she says with a noticeable accent. Spanish, Hanzo muses, not an accent he’s used to hearing in Japan. A moment hangs heavy in the air as the two stare each other down. Hanzo takes a moment to analyse his intruder. She is short, slender, and an _aesthetic mess_ , he ponders as he notices her garish overcoat and buzzed hair. _Augmented_ , he realizes as his eyes bore into hers, hoping she’ll break first.  After a few moments, he grows impressed by her unwavering gaze as a smirk spreads across her glossed lips.

Hanzo keeps his bow drawn. “Explain yourself, then, or I will strike you where you stand.”

The woman then exhales, her breath shakier than she expected, but she shifts her weight to lean toward the archer. “I need a favor,” she says, “Rumor ‘round town said the infamous Hanzo Shimada would be here. I’ve heard you’re the best at what you do. A little _sparrow_ told me so.”

Hanzo flares his nose at the mention of his younger brother. Perhaps this woman is dangerous after all. He flicks his eyes across her small frame. Grenades on her belt, he notices, a purple bodysuit underneath that atrocious overcoat but otherwise no obvious signs of weaponry. Long, pink fingernails that are too impractical for any sort of close-quarters combat. The styled undercut, the makeup that could run into her eyes and ruin her vision. No, this woman is not a fighter by any means. He believes that he could easy overpower her if she were to draw a gun, and a grenade is easy to outrun.

He keeps his bow drawn. “Speak.”

The woman nods her head to the bow. “I will once you put the bow down. I just want to talk, see if we can become friends.” She leans toward him, head lowered and eyes pleading through her long lashes. A puppy face if Hanzo’s ever seen one. Genji used to give him that look all the time when they were kids. “Just talk, _sí arquero_?” he adds as he lowers his bow and unnocks his arrow.

The woman sighs heavily as she lowered her tiring arms. Hanzo smirks, his arrogance knowing that she’s easy-to-read and thus makes an easy target if this talk turns deadly. He motions her to a secret side-room where his father used to hold his illicit meetings away from prying eyes. It is a sparse room with tatami mats lining the floor, a dark cherrywood table in the center surrounded by square floor pillows. A scroll of a dragon hangs from the opposite wall. Hanzo removes two cups from a hidden cabinet in the wall and begins pouring sake for his guest. He can see the woman’s face in awe of the traditional Japanese room as she seats herself on a pillow. He gets the impression that she doesn’t visit Japan very often, which makes this surprise meeting all the more intriguing. _Curiosity killed the cat_ , Hanzo recalls an old English phrase, _but satisfaction brought it back_.

“So,” he speaks as he hands her a cup of sake, “who are you, and why have you come to my home?”

“My name is not important,” the woman replies, “but you can call me Sombra. I’m recruiting for a job,” she replies, bringing the cup to her lips. She grimaces at the sake at first, before finally gulping the entire cup in one shot. Hanzo stares at her. “Specifically, I’m looking for a bodyguard, someone to have my back for the job I’m going to pull. Someone who won’t mind getting their hands a little dirty,” the woman looks to Hanzo, “if it comes to that. Nothing illegal, of course, but I’m sure you wouldn’t mind.”

Hanzo huffs and crosses his arms. “Sombra...like the hacker collective that exposed LumériCo in Mexico,” he thinks aloud as he strokes his chin. So that explains her accent, but why would Sombra come all the way to Mexico to seek him out? Is she the leader of these cyber activists? Hanzo admits that he’s a little old-fashioned and out-of-touch, what could a computer hacker possibly want with the wandering archer?

Sombra smirks as she pours herself another cup of sake. “Sí, except that job” she gestures a circle with her hand, “was all me. I like it when people think I’m an entire collective. Makes me feel,” she takes another shot of sake and smacks her lips, “Powerful, you know? I control all the cards, I have all the power. I’m sure you can relate, no?”

Hanzo licks his lips. This mysterious stranger shows up at his doorstep, offering him a chance to regain what little power he has left in his life. He remembers the fantasy stories Genji liked when they were children. Hanzo may not be superstitious, but he can't help but think Sombra may actually be a witch or a demon in sheep's clothing. "You have my attention," he says after taking a sip of his sake, "What is this job?"

Sombra leans back and claps her hands together. "Well, first off, I need you to join Talon-"

"No!" Hanzo exclaims as he raises his hand to silence Sombra, "I refuse to work with Talon. You are not the first of Talon's henchmen to try to recruit. First the spider woman, then Doomfist, and now you? You cannot offer me anything. What difference do you make? I refuse!"

Sombra winces when Hanzo slams his cup against the table. "I knew you would say that," she mutters, "but you want to know what difference I make?" She stands and saunters over to Hanzo, invading his personal space when she lowers herself to his eye level. Hanzo's breath hitches in his throat. "Because, amigo, you and I are gonna destroy Talon from the inside. Together."

"Destroy Talon," Hanzo whispers mostly to himself. "Why?"

"I have a friend," Sombra finally sits in front of Hanzo, "who is trapped in Talon's grasp. He's a good friend, one of the best friends I have actually, and he really needs help. I may be a Talon operative on paper, but that doesn't mean I work for them. I've spent months covering my trail, keeping secrets and throwing missions, in hopes that I could save my friend," she sighs, "Nothing's worked so far. You see, I have information that could stop Talon for good, expose them and their entire network around the world. LumériCo was just the beginning. You see, Talon thinks I exposed Señor Portero to keep him lined in Talon's pockets. Doomfist keeps talking about chaos making the world strong. He thinks the LumeriCo riots were best for Dorado, but if I'm being honest, I wanted to see the pendejo go down for his crimes against my city and her people. I've already lost too much to stand by and watch them steal the world from us, to take my friend's life for their own profit. I'm going to rescue him, and you're going to help me."

Sombra is trembling, a fire lit behind her aubergine eyes. Hanzo is in awe of the raw passion in her. The arrogant, cool Sombra of their initial meeting was just an actress; he realized that she revealed a true vulnerability to a man that could easily strike her down without blinking. Either that, or she's surprisingly very, very good at her job, but Hanzo doesn't want to believe he could so easily fall for the damsel in distress act. He remembers his former life, his father's sour face every time he left a meeting with one of Talon's operatives. Sojiro and the Shimada clan were powerful, wealthy, influential, yet Sojiro always told Hanzo that there were honor and duty in the clan, two things Talon doesn't possess. Talon was dirty. Talon was honorless. Talon wasn't worth scum. Hanzo's refusal to join Talon was the last bit of pride he took within himself. He believes that despite everything he was, at least his father would know he would never stoop so low to be a whipping boy for Talon. Hanzo recognizes the determination behind her eyes, the way her body trembles, the demand for justice in an unjust world and the will to save it by whatever means nessesary. Sombra wasn't just offering him a job, he realizes, she's offering him redemption.

_The world is changing once again, Hanzo, and it’s time to pick a side._

"Ms. Sombra," Hanzo stands, holding a hand out to her, "My bow and I are yours to command."

Sombra smiles, grabbing his sturdy hand to lift herself off the ground, "It will be a pleasure to work with you, Señor Shimada."

Sombra leaves the ground of Shimada castle when she spots the shadow from the rooftop of the ramen shop. She knew he would be watching, wondering what the girl from Dorado was doing so far from home. She knew the lie she would tell him.

* * *

"I did the impossible," she says later in the dropship. "I recruited Hanzo Shimada."

"Oh yeah? And how did you do that?" Reaper asks, leaning against the doorway of the Talon dropship. "How in the hell did you manage to outsmart Akande and Widow?"

Sombra crosses her arms and mimics Reaper's pose on the opposite wall. "Simple. Akande and Widow, they only scratched the surface. If they bothered to read Hanzo's profile," she pauses to swipe a digital interface into thin air, "they would know that he's a prideful bastard.Offering to get his status back is merely patronizing, and Hanzo has too much pride to accept help. I simply told him the truth: Genji Shimada is back, and with it, the clan returns to its former glory. He's not about to hand over the Shimada empire to his deadbeat brother."

Sombra returns to her interface, tuning out whatever protest Reaper could have offered. Instead, he hums to himself and readjusts his arms.

“Oh, by the way,” Sombra interrupts as she enlarges her interface for Reaper to see. “I just got an order from Akande. Says there’s something you need to check out.”

Reaper growls. “What is it?”

Sombra shrugs. “It doesn’t say. Only that there’s something you need to see in Giza.”


End file.
